Flexible and scalable automatic next-hop resolution in traffic engineering networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for flexible and scalable Automatic Next-Hop Resolution (ANR) in Traffic Engineering (TE) networks, specifically with color-templates, include, responsive to a Customer Edge Router advertising a prefix with an associated color to a node in a Service Provider Network, receiving a request to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on a color-template for the associated color; and providing the one of the Segment Routing policy and tunnel information for the tunnel to the node for installation thereon, wherein the node is one of a Provider Edge Router and a Border Router.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed at a controller, cause one or more processors to perform steps of:
 responsive to a Customer Edge Router advertising a prefix with an associated color to a node in a Service Provider Network, receiving a request to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on a color-template for the associated color, wherein the Customer Edge Router advertises the prefix with the associated color with one of an Interior way Protocol (IGP) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP); and   providing the one of the Segment Routing policy and tunnel information for the tunnel to the node for installation thereon, wherein the node is one of a Provider Edge Router and a Border Router.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the color-template includes parameters and constraints needed to provide the one of the Segment Routing policy and the tunnel information. 
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the tunnel is based on Resource Reservation Protocol-Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE). 
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to changing the prefix to another associated color at the Customer Edge Router and advertising to the node, receiving another request from the node to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on another color-template for the another associated color.   
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the request is via a Type-Length-Value (TLV). 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template not being configured or having been previously deleted, using a default color-template.   
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 1 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template being modified, pushing the modified one of the Segment Routing policy and the tunnel information to the node for installation thereon.   
     
     
         8 . A method comprising steps of:
 responsive to a Customer Edge Router advertising a prefix with an associated color to a node in a Service Provider Network, receiving a request to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on a color-template for the associated color, wherein the Customer Edge Router advertises the prefix with the associated color with one of an Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP); and   providing the one of the Segment Routing policy and tunnel information for the tunnel to the node for installation thereon, wherein the node is one of a Provider Edge Router and a Border Router.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the tunnel is based on Resource Reservation Protocol-Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE). 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to changing the prefix to another associated color at the Customer Edge Router and advertising to the node, receiving another request from the node to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on another color-template for the another associated color.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the request is via a Type-Length-Value (TLV). 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template not being configured or having been previously deleted at a controller, using a default color-template.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template being modified at a controller, pushing the modified one of the Segment Routing policy and the tunnel information to the node for installation thereon.   
     
     
         14 . A method comprising steps of:
 responsive to a Customer Edge Router advertising a prefix with an associated color to a node in a Service Provider Network, receiving a request to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on a color-template for the associated color, wherein the color-template includes parameters and constraints needed to provide the one of the Segment Routing policy and the tunnel information; and   providing the one of the Segment Routing policy and tunnel information for the tunnel to the node for installation thereon, wherein the node is one of a Provider Edge Router and a Border Router.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the tunnel is based on Resource Reservation Protocol-Traffic Engineering (RSVP-TE). 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to changing the prefix to another associated color at the Customer Edge Router and advertising to the node, receiving another request from the node to generate one of a Segment Routing policy and a tunnel based on another color-template for the another associated color.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the request is via a Type-Length-Value (TLV). 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template not being configured or having been previously deleted at a controller, using a default color-template.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the steps further include
 responsive to the color-template being modified at a controller, pushing the modified one of the Segment Routing policy and the tunnel information to the node for installation thereon.